Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, proposed in early November 2025 to soften the controversial Chat Control bill by making message scanning voluntary for internet providers and digital platforms. However, Copenhagen has not abandoned the initiative itself and, according to the article, still hopes to secure its adoption in 2026.
The draft regulation on preventing child sexual abuse was submitted to the European Parliament on May 11, 2022 at the initiative of European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. The proposal envisaged detecting messages, photos and videos linked to child sexual abuse and creating a special European center to collect and analyze such data.
Supporters of the initiative, including EUCPN and Eurochild, argued that an EU-wide mechanism would improve the fight against crimes against children. Opponents, however, said the bill would pave the way for mass surveillance, undermine anonymous communication and effectively endanger services protected by end-to-end encryption.
Patrick Breyer described the measure as an attack on fundamental rights, trust and online security, warning that it could become a step toward a system of total control.
Criticism came not only from politicians but also from legal bodies. The Bundestag’s research service and the legal service of EU member states said the text was overly vague and could violate the right to privacy. In February 2024, the European Court of Human Rights also ruled that technical circumvention of encryption breaches the basic right to private life.
In autumn 2025, Denmark postponed discussion scheduled for October 14 after Germany refused to support the proposal. According to German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, the initiative affects core civil rights. Danish authorities are now negotiating a new compromise version which, according to Patrick Breyer, could be presented on December 6 or 7.